For those with cervical spondy , how are u managing without surgery ? What conservative treatments really helped ?
Also PT ?
Lifestyle changes ( I work at a desk )?
I’m recently diagnosed and had lumbar surgery for slondy awhike back.
I really cannot consider for neck now with other personal situation and am starting PT.
If u avoided surgery how long has it been you are managing conservatively ? Thank you
I have had neck symptoms on and off for years. Always tightness , pain, have “ knots” I my shoulders back and sides of neck. Then about 10 years ago I stared getting a cramp under my jaw like a charlie horse, did PT for it and it would come and go. Fast forward 4 years ago bad car accident. Actually ejected from car seat belt , hit head on roof and broke off headrest from impact. Concussion, smashed legs. My neck was pretty bad but back was far worse. Landed on back on console , shifted lumbar out. It got scary and back unstable, leg weakness and numbness and awful back pain.
Had a lumbar fusion 2 years ago doing well now.
Now about 3 months ago I started getting tingling on side of neck and into face. Comes and goes - worst bending or at night when I lay down to sleep.
This is side I get the charlie horse type cramp under my chin. Also have a cramp in left shoulder blade for a year and possibly realized it’s related. ( I do some stretching for that cramp)
The neck pain was there after the accident but I had bigger issues previously with a lot of injuries. I didn’t really pay it much attention but now this tingling started.
My neck is tight and hurts. I assumed this cramping is hitting a nerve to cause tingling but since it’s been going on a few months , I asked my dr to check it out. X-ray ordered. Results below seems worse than I thought. 53f. I’m going to start PT this week but I’m a bit freaked out my back and neck are so bad. I’m going to do PT and hope it helps. I remember when I did PT a long time back when I started this cramp under chin the guy said it was posture. So I hope it will help. Anything else help anyone with cervical spondy to stabilize it? Could you avoid fusion? Thanks
CERVICAL SPINE INDICATION: Cervicalgia. COMPARISON: None. VIEWS: XR SPINE CERVICAL COMPLETE 4 OR 5 VW NON INJURY Images: 7 FINDINGS: No fracture. Preserved cervical lordosis with degenerative retrolisthesis C3-4 and C4-5 with grade 1 anterolisthesis C5-6. Disc height loss C3-4 through C6-7 with multilevel facet arthropathy and uncovertebral joint hypertrophy. Neural foramen are not well profiled due to obliquity with significant neural foraminal narrowing bilaterally at C5-6 and C6-7. The prevertebral soft tissues are within normal limits. The lung apices are clear.